Lenovo sold 14 million phones in last quarter, but not all under its own brand

Lenovo might not be as closely associated with phones as it is with computers, but the company having sold 14 million phones during the third quarter of 2016, up by 25 percent compared to the previous quarter, shows that this is not just a love affair with the smartphone world.

Sales were not the only part of Lenovo’s financials that improved, however — smartphone shipments in Asia and India increased by 15 percent compared to 2015’s third quarter, with the Motorola division seeing a 40 percent increase in sales year-over-year. The latter can be attributed to the Moto Z line of phones, which sold just over one million units during the first three months of availability.

Looking ahead, Lenovo believes that the Moto Z will hit three million sold units by the time we reach its first birthday. Furthermore, Lenovo announced a partnership with Indiegogo that will make it easier for developers to submit ideas for future Moto Mods.

Net income was also an improvement, with the company raking in $157 million for the third quarter, although it has lost $714 million year on year. Finally, Lenovo’s mobile division brought in $2 billion in revenue, and though it also posted a loss of $156 million, this was still a 4.4 percent increase from the second quarter.

Even with the improved statistics, however, Lenovo is rumored to be dropping its own branding in favor of Motorola’s, with the Lenovo P2 reportedly the last phone to carry the company’s branding, reports Gizmochina. From a distance, this move is the manifestation of Lenovo’s reasoning behind its purchase of Motorola’s mobile division: the latter carries more weight outside of China. Navigating through the weeds, however, reveals that even given the boost in sales and shipments, Lenovo’s mobile division is reportedly not doing so hot, as highlighted by the net loss.

Either way, we should expect to hear more about the P2 and the rumored Moto M soon, so Lenovo’s mobile division’s near future will at least be clear.